Take Action: Clean Water Protections Are Under Threat

The federal administration has proposed a rule that would significantly weaken the Clean Water Act by removing protections from many wetlands and small streams that help keep the Chicago-Calumet River system healthy. These waters store stormwater, filter pollution, support wildlife, and help protect neighborhoods from flooding. Losing federal safeguards would put wetlands greater risk of being filled or polluted without review if development comes along. This means places like Big Marsh, Powderhorn Marsh and Prairie, Eggers Marsh, Hegewisch Marsh, the Lake Calumet fringe wetlands, Saganashkee Slough, the Skokie Lagoons, and others within our watershed could face destruction or degradation, putting nearby homes, wildlife, and water quality in jeopardy.

These wetlands are vital natural infrastructure that reduce flood damage, protect property, and support local economies, yet once they are lost, they do not return. Weakened federal protections would also create uncertainty for restoration, development, and long term planning across the region.

Friends of the Chicago River submitted a formal public comment urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw the proposed rule, but federal action is only part of the solution. Illinois still lacks comprehensive statewide wetland protections. If the federal rule moves forward, many of our wetlands could be left without any safeguard unless the state acts. To protect the Chicago-Calumet River system, we need strong state level action now. Use our Action Alert to urge Illinois lawmakers to strengthen wetland protections: action alert here.